


capsule

by saraheli



Category: SF9 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 17:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15890769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saraheli/pseuds/saraheli
Summary: In a world where people stop aging at eighteen until they meet their soulmate, you’d passed years in what felt like timeless limbo. Youngkyun felt similarly trapped; his company was at the end of their rope. They wanted to keep their idols young and loveless, but he felt so lost as his friends began to continue their lives past youth, and it wasn’t until he met you in a hotel corridor that everything began to change.





	capsule

The dining room was filled with laughter. It rang out over the sounds of clinking, mild chatter, and heavy waves of jazzy melodies as a roomful of wealthy and important people ignoring the wait staff that floated in their atmosphere. Youngkyun was sat at a table near the center of the room, his fingernails tickling the outside of his glass. His colleagues filled the seats beside him, each of them bearing the tell-tale characteristics of the early twenties and each of them receiving customary reprimands for such. Youngkyun overheard them, of course, and was further incentivized to avoid anyone that he could potentially love. 

For many years, since the first generation of genetic soulmate matches, people’s aging had been put on hold until they found each other and their bodies continued to age in synchrony with their match. As an idol, Youngkyun was strongly discouraged from meeting anyone that he could reasonably fall in love with—or, rather, anyone who could make him appear any older than eighteen—so, he spent a lot of time alone and with the same ten or so people from his company. He was lonely for spontaneity, and he was thankful to be able to see some new people tonight even if he only exchanged pleases and thank yous with them.

He met you that night, or, actually, for the sake of recounting this story,  _ you _ met  _ him _ . You served him his eighth glass of water, and the first thing he ever said to you was _thank you_. Your collar was choking you, and the kitchen felt hot, and your ponytail was giving you a headache, but that night you met your match. There were no fireworks or lump in your throat or cosmic blowout of feeling suddenly bestowed upon you. There was nothing. You wouldn’t know it for a very long time, and you wouldn’t notice until you finally started getting smile lines. Without the smile lines, you might have missed him and your chance. 

Your skin hadn’t changed since high school, so the minute change did not go unnoticed by you. You stared into the mirror after a week had passed since that FNC dinner, and you’d pulled at your skin, eyes wide with a mixture of excitement and fear. At that point, it could have been anyone in your neighborhood or anyone you’d served at your second job. 

Your immediate urge was to call your parents much like the impulse of a child experiencing their first love (sans the love and childhood elements), but you merely sighed at yourself as you called your closest friend. As was common for your generation, your parents had been gone from you for many years now. Most people’s parents, as soulmate matches that had grown old together, departed from the lives of their children before they showed their first signs of aging. Matches were harder and harder to find as so many of the people your age were looking to keep their youth for as long as they could; the world became one full of parent-less children, and those older (and, frankly, more dramatic) people who stuck around worried for the “progression of the human race”. You were of the mind, as many were, that you were tired of being stuck in the same phase of your life as you had been for years now, and you welcomed the aging as a representation of your growth out of a frozen state. 

“Hello?” Your friend answered her phone.

“I have smile lines,” you told her immediately. “I met someone this week. I mean, it has to have been recently, but I don’t know—”

“Wait wait wait,” she hushed you. “You met your match, and you don’t know who the fuck it is? How could you let that happen?” 

Your mouth fell agape, “I-I’ve been working all week, I don’t know. I mean, fuck, should I just be thinking about it all the time? Is that something I should be doing? I, like most people who live paycheck-to-paycheck, can’t afford to...I don’t know, pay constant attention to every person I come into contact with.”

She sighed, “I know, I know...do you have access to the list of people at the dinner you worked this past weekend?”

You plopped down on your couch, “No. They never give me that kind of stuff. I know it was for FNC’s idol group…shit, do you know how  _ fucked _ I am if my match is an idol? I-I mean that would be  _ so bad _ for my manager—I’ll be cut up and thrown to the company heads so that they can skewer and eat me. Fuck!” 

There was a beat of silence before your friend swore under her breath, “I have to go—I’m sorry, I’m clocking in right now. I’ll call you once you get out of class later, okay?”

You sighed, “Yeah, yeah. Okay. I’ll try to do some research before then...figure something out.”

“Good.” 

With that, the line went dead, and you relaxed back into the cushions with a groan that certainly did not go unheard by your upstairs neighbor. You got up and made yourself get ready for class, feeling lost and isolated when you should have felt more connected to someone than ever, but that knowledge made you sink even deeper beneath the surface of the melancholy ocean of discouragement that began to consume you. 

* * *

Youngkyun didn’t notice the fine lines that started to form at the corners of his eyes until someone else pointed it out. It was a fan, actually, at a meet-up. She’d pointed them out in disbelief, sending the young man’s hand sailing up to his cheek to feel them for himself. He let out a little laugh of giddiness before turning to see his group-mates looking tense.

“What should I do?”

“Hide them,” Inseong replied honestly. “Just...it’s so much easier.”

“But...how will they…”

“Find you again?” Inseong asked quietly, tugging Youngkyun’s arm to lead him to where the private restrooms were. “It might be best if they didn't.”

“How did your’s find you, hyung?”

“Well, mine’s different,” Inseong chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he closed the bathroom door behind them. “Mine’s here in the group, you know that. It’s...it wasn’t like I had to actively seek him out or vise versa. Without, especially if it’s not another idol or someone easily, oh how do I say this...” Inseong paused and, as he’d been talking, he hadn’t noticed their leader join them in the bathroom. The older boy thought for a moment before jumping at the sound of Youngbin closing the bathroom door again.

“Someone presentable to the fans. Not like they don’t want you to be happy, but you can’t be one of their ‘eternal idols’ if you meet your match. That’s just the nature of the beast, unfortunately, Hwi,” Youngbin concluded for Inseong. “For now, it’s nothing noticeable, really, but...well, do you want to figure out who it is? It must have been someone you met pretty recently…”

Youngkyun felt overwhelmed; his face was hot and flushed, and his stomach was tensed and trying to empty itself as if the gap would make it easier to tie itself into knots. He was staring breathlessly at the tile wall, trying to keep his eyes in focus as he tried to pick his match out of an array of foggy half-faces from his memory. He keeled over and puked in the trash can. The older boys silenced. 

“So,” Youngkyun wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. “How do I find them?”

* * *

His members helped him conduct his investigation in secret. It was fairly easy considering it was recent, but it was difficult considering how many people he had met in this recent period. A slew of fans and employees and staff members in venues: Youngkyun became discouraged as the days turned to weeks with no sign of finding his match.

You weren’t feeling much better, unfortunately. Your boss had refused to give you the guest list, but, you knew who was there, and you knew exactly which idol group you were looking for, but this didn’t give you much hope. If it really had been one of the idols, which was almost certain considering you’d already met the other staff members and the only other people who looked young  _ were _ the idols, then you had little to no chance of meeting and growing old with your match. You would be what many people feared: aged and lonely. 

Any desperate forum search for some kind of advice only left you feeling more sick to your stomach as they were filled with delusional youths claiming that their favorite celebrity must be destined to be with them, and the only proof they needed was to get close enough. No real advice existed; you were on your own as you’d expected. You contemplated your options. First, you could give up and accept your fate as an eventual spinster, get a cat, and move on. On the other hand, you could purchase a ticket to an FNC group fan meet-up on a whim and see what happens. Seeing as you weren’t quite ready to give up and doom yourself, you bought your ticket online. It put you out about half of your budgeted savings, but you figured that your future was worth something aside from money, too. 

You went through the days between your purchase and the meet-up anxiously. You worked hard, went to class, and slept, frequently forgetting to feed yourself. Youngkyun, you would later learn, felt a similar bout of stress during this time. You theorized that your stress must have been synchronized somehow, though mating experts doubted such a thing was possible biologically. You would call them quacks then because how could  _ any _ of this maintain biological explanations? 

You waited silently in line that day. You felt stupid for missing work to stand here, unable to work or study; you felt horribly like you were wasting your time. The girls around you seemed not to have any such negative thoughts, only excited and squealing as they waited to meet the nine boys at the front of the hall. Your jaw clenched anxiously, and you were suddenly very conscious of your work clothes and professional ponytail. You looked out of place among the more relaxed and confident fangirls, and you considered leaving altogether more than one time. You felt the urge to abandon ship particularly harshly when you finally made it to the group’s table. 

You met the eyes of the leader, and he smiled warmly, gesturing for you to approach the table when it was your turn. He gave you a once-over, pausing on your catering outfit as if he seemed to recognize it curiously. He reached beside him to touch one of the other boys who, upon looking at you, too, abruptly rose from his chair and went to whisper something to one of them down near the end of the line-up.

Youngkyun jumped in surprise when Jaeyoon came up behind him. 

“What is it, hyung?” He’d asked, eyebrows furrowing in concern. 

Jaeyoon smiled affectionately, and he gestured back towards the start of the line where a girl in khaki pants and an emblemed polo shirt. Youngkyun felt his throat tighten; he recognized you immediately from all of those months ago when everything had started to change. He couldn’t be sure, of course, because how could he? There were a million possibilities and things that he could have been wrong about, but after all of the waiting, he needed something more to cling to. 

And it was clear that you felt the same, the way your eyes widened at meeting his giving him more than just a little hope. His heart pounded as he came to the realization that you almost certainly were here for the reason he begged: to find him. 

You froze in place, jaw fixing itself shut as your body tensed with anticipation. Youngkyun got to his feet and came over to you; his lips were parted as he tried to come up with something to say to you.

“You, um, catered the company dinner a while ago, didn’t you? You gave me a secret glass of wine near the end,” he said softly. His lips curled into a smile, heart leaping when you nodded. 

“Yeah,” you cleared your throat. “I’m sorry, I know it’s kind of unprofessional for me to be here after serving you so recently, especially in my uniform, and now I’m holding up the line…” Your cheeks burned as you pushed some stray hairs away from your forehead. “I’m...I know this is going to sound crazy, but,” you lowered your voice and your eyes, pausing your speech.

“But,” Jaeyoon clapped his hand on Youngkyun’s shoulder, “you met someone important that night, right?”

Your eyes snapped up to meet Jaeyoon’s before moving to meet those of the younger boy. The skin at the corners of his eyes was crinkled with nerves and the faintest of smile lines. You could just barely make out a line near his mouth almost precisely mirroring one on your cheek. Your fingers haphazardly came to touch the similar mark on your own face.

“I...I didn’t know for sure it was that night, I mean, it very well could have been, but...well, there was no way to know,” your cheeks felt like they were on fire as you tried to stammer out an explanation. “I understand if this is against the rules or whatever, so...so, I can go.”

“No,” Youngkyun spoke up finally. “Don’t go, uh…” he looked over to Youngbin. “Hyung, can I take a break real quick?” 

Youngbin looked over his shoulder at Youngkyun, eyes glancing at you briefly before nodding to his member. “Yeah, but please be fast.” He smiled a little before returning his attention to the fan before him. 

You were ushered quickly behind the partition, following to a barely more private area. The two of you, when left alone, had little to nothing to say to each other. It was said that matches would get along exceedingly well, and the two of you were no exception once you got the ball rolling. 

Once you had arranged your first official meeting with him, you got him out of his shell faster than anyone he’d ever met. Your smile intoxicated him and made the very air around him feel warm and smooth like a full night of sleep. 

After a few dates, the issue of his profession was brought up. The two of you were standing together at the edge of a balcony, arms resting against the railing as the two of you looked out over the city. 

“How fast is too fast when someone is your soulmate? I mean,” Youngkyun chuckled a little to himself at his continuation of your conversation. “I already know that, objectively, I’ll be spending my life with you, so is there a point in me waiting the necessary three weeks to kiss you that I might have in a past life?”

You hummed in acknowledgment but ultimately changed the subject. “Do you think FNC will terminate your contract when they find out about me? About your aging, more, I guess.” 

You worried that his company would ax him like had happened to so many other idols due to similar circumstances, and you couldn’t bring yourself to be the factor that ended his career—his dream. Your heart sank and floated again within the span of a few moments after he, carefully folding your hand into his own, answered your concerns. 

The corner of his mouth quirked a little to reveal a calm gummy smile, “Listen. I know that might happen. Industries like this one can be brutal that way, but...I mean, it’s not like I can just choose not to have you. You’re my shot, and I want to take it.” 

You smiled a little, too, “Yeah, but...I mean, there’s no obligation for you to be with me now that you know I exist. I’ve heard of cases where matches have hated each other or missed opportunities for each other or—”

“Hey,” he furrowed his eyebrows. “We’ve been on six dates—seven counting this one—and we don’t have to change our lives for each other, not yet, anyway. What I choose, whether it is for you or not, is totally and completely on me. If FNC cuts me out for finding my match,” he shrugged, “so be it.” 

You stared at him for a long time. Strands of his hair were blown by the cool breeze into his eyes, and you sighed contentedly at the sight. The sheer willingness of someone to potentially give up his dream for the possibility of happiness with you on faith alone was touching, and you could feel your heart swell at the very thought of it.

“Be sure to tell me if you change your mind, okay?” You tightened your fingers around his hand, doing your best to encapsulate it in your grip. 

He only smiled, promising that he would most certainly let you know if any such impossible day were to ever come about.


End file.
